USC is still in the process of hiring a secondary coach.
But there is a far bigger problem with the defense than hiring a defensive line or secondary coach.
The defense needs new ideas. Defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast plays man-to-man coverage and never changes his strategy.
That is one reason USC intercepted only four passes last season. It’s funny how the offense is going to be revamped but no similar changes are being made defensively.
Was it only the USC offense’s fault that Texas and Utah went on 34-0 runs vs. USC? Or Notre Dame went on a 24-0 run?
Remember how last spring Pendergast and Clay Helton bragged about all the defensive depth and how USC could start 22 different players it was so deep?
Since the season ended, I too often hear excuses: There were injuries; The offense was the problem, not the defense.
This is delusional thinking. Ohio State shut down USC in the Cotton Bowl last season. How did the Buckeyes respond? They went and hired Washington State defensive coordinator Alex Grinch as co-defensive coordinator.
That is what teams do that evolve and constantly improve. Pendergast is stubborn and doesn’t want to work with others. You can celebrate Kliff Kingsbury all you want but the defense has the same guy running it with maybe a couple better position coaches.
I suppose you could hope Pendergast gets an NFL job after their season ends but he has tried before and been unable to land anything.
InsideUSC with Scott Wolf 
SCooter, I have to agree. There were no adjustments, no fundmental football played on defense a lot of the time, and just plain softness. Pelndergast needs to go and observe ohio st’s or bamas defense to understand how to change things up.
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I doubt 5% of the SUCCX FB 1st teamers on either side of the ball could start for Alabama or Ohio St.
“Peindergast (sic)” had an up-close Cotton Bowl preview of the Ohio St Defense; So what? I’m willing to bet $$$$ to donuts not one member of the Ohio St defense produced his own “I be so cool” video.
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just Rent,
That is 5% more than uglies players trying to play football let alone play for bama.
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He had 3 years and 4-5 star players to get it right. See ya!
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Just listened to ESPNu in car. Lots of wondering about the state of USC football with 6 days left to signing period and a class ranked near 30. There should be no excuse for that in LA
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No matter what a DC, or an OC want to do in practice the head coach calls the shots…if the offense comes out in shorts and defensive coaches want full contact …what can they practice when offense is in shorts…and the reverse is also true for blocking on offense…that is the head coaches call…just like the amount of practices vs fun trips, just watching film,etc…helton is probably happy they have no bowl games, he hates practicing for them,he uses less than 1/2 of allowed practices.
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Pendergast is a marginal DC as spending 5 minutes reviewing SC’s defensive stats will attest. The fact that recruiting is gong so poorly is proof the best HS prospects are being well-advised by the important people in their lives.
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You nailed it.
Anyone (including a couple of prominent media types) blowing wind into the Clancy sail is in a state of denial – the results are so shockingly bad (can anyone point to one good thing on defense that is attributable to Pendergast?)…they can bring in all of the gimmick offensive coaches they want, but as long as CH is the head coach and CP is in charge of the defense (and no generational talent like Sam to magic wand away the coaching fails – and Daniels isn’t and never will be a Sam), 8-9 wins is the ceiling…which at USC used to be considered a bad season…
The recruits going elsewhere – we’ve seen it before in cycles (Washington in the ’80s-’90s, Oregon in ’10s), always corresponding to our own bad leadership chains…the longer this goes on, the harder it will be to ever get corrected, if at all…we are headed down the Univ. of Miami/Donna Shalala Highway.
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Wait til we start 2-4 or 1-5 next year with the schedule we have. 3-3 would be a miracle in the first six games.
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As long as Hugs is at the helm, we will be soft.
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He had 3 years and 4-5 star players to get it right. See ya!
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